Improvement in metallic cartridges for loose ammunition



W. H; RISLEY.

Cartridge. No. 53,490. Patented Mal-122T, 1866.

MPETERS, PHQTO-LIYHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON. D 04 UNIED STATES PATE'I rcE.

WILLIAM H. RISLEY, OF BERLIN, CONNECTICUT.

IMPROVEMENT IN METALLIC CARTRIDGES FOR LOOSE AMMUNITION.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 53,490, dated March 27, 1866.

To all whom it may concern '7 Be it known'that I, WILLIAM H. RIsLEY,

' of Berlin, in the county of Hartford and State and use the same, reference i being had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a longitudinal section of a cartridge made according to my invention. Fig. 2 is a peripherical view thereof. Fig. 3 is a section, and Fig. at is a peripherical view, of modifications of my invention.

-Similar letters of reference indicate like parts.

The object of this invention is to give ad ditional facilities to those hitherto known or used, to sportsmen in putting up loose am.-

munition, that is to say, powder, wad, and

shot or ball. It consists in providing a hollow cylinder, of metal or other material, separated at or about the middle of its length by a solid diaphragm, so as to form two chambers therein open at opposite ends, one being a receptacle for powder and the other for shot or ball. The chambers are to be of a length a little greater than is required to contain powder and shot for a single charge, so as to allow them to be closed by inserting a wad into the mouth or end of each chamber, said ends being slotted a little ways on one side, so as to receive a headed wire which extends across the chambers to the opposite side, in which its head is secured, so as to permitits free end to have considerable play. The pieces of wad are put outside of the wire, and consequently when the free end of the wire is pushed out of its slot the wad is pushed before it out of the end of the chamber, and the powder or a shot can be poured out into the muzzle of a gun. Instead of slotting the ends of the chambers and using a rod or wire to push out the wad, a cord or string may be used by laying it over the end of the chamber and pushing the wad down therein so as to carry the string before it, leaving, however, its ends hanging over the edges of the chamber.

By another modification of the same general principle a broad slot can be made on one side of each chamber at its end, so as to permit the der into equal or unequal parts, as may be desired. The size of the cylinder is to be such that its respective chambers will be sufficient to contain a charge of powder for a gun and also a charge of shot or a ball, as the case may be, and its diameter is equal to the bore of the gun in conjunction with which itis to be used, both that it may receive the ball, if balls are to be used, and that it may receive wad of suitable size. B B are headed rods,

which are so fitted in one of the sides of the" cylinder at the ends of each chamber as to be capable of being turned upward, but not so loosely as that it can fall out by accident. That side of each chamber which is opposite the side where the head of the rod is placed is out down to such a depth as to allow the rods to lie straight across thercspective chambers. One of the chambers being filled with a charge of powder and the rod being brought down in its slot, the wad C is next inserted in the end of the chamber so as to inclose the powder safely and securely therein. The shot or ball are secured in the other chamber of the cylinder in a like manner, the rod 13 being held down in place and the shot or ball inclosed securely by a like wad, C.

- When a gun is to be loaded the sportsman holds the cylinder in his hand and places his thumb under the end of the rod B, which is made long enough to protrude a little way beyond the edge of the slot, and raises it upward, thereby removing the wad C and enabling him to pour the powder into the barrel. The wad is then placed in the barrel over the powder, and, he next removes the wad from the shot-chamber in the same way,

so as to be able to pour the shot into the gun.

The cylinder is now empty, and is placed in the pocket or in whatever receptacle is provided for it, for preservation and further use. Instead of using a rod, B, to remove the wad I can supply its place by a string or cord, which is pushed down upon the powder (If ball by the wad, its ends hanging over the edges of, thechamhers, which. need: not in this case be slotted. By pulling the string outward the wad will be lifted out of its place. This modification is illustrated in Fig. 3'. Or I can dispense both with the rod and the cord by making a slot in one edge of each chamber, so that the thumb-nail or any suitable instrument can be receivedtherein to reaehthe edge of the wad and to lift it out by pushing against it. I

It will be perceived that this invention enables a sportsman to provide himself with any number of charges of powder and shot, or ball, each charge being put up securely in a separate package before he starts out on his expedition, itonly being required that he have a number of cylinders'equal to the number of charges he-w-ishes to carry, and that he fill their chambers with the kindof ammunition to be used. The cylinders will be useful for any number of occasions if properly taken care of. The pieces of wad may be of different colors to distinguish the powder from the shot chamber.

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- The cylinder A, made substantially as described, with a fixed partition to divide it into a shot or ball and a powder chamber, being of a diameter about equal tothe bore of the gun with which it is to be used, so that the wad can he used to shut the chambers, and

with means for removing the wad at pleasure, substantially as described.

WILLIAM H. EISLEY.

Witnesses:

MELISSA SKINNER, FANNY S. GLAPP. 

